Persona 5 - The Unofficial Adaptation
by Toafu Supreme
Summary: The entire story of Persona 5, written by one guy with too much spare time on his hands in a chapter based format. Work in progress, obviously.
1. Prologue

_Author's Notes :  
My name is Toafu Supreme, and this will be my first story to this website. As somebody who's recently finished Persona 5 at the time of writing this, Let me just say that it's an absolutely fantastic experience. That being said, none of the characters from Persona 5 belong to me, as they are the property of Atlus/Sega._

_The goal of this story is to put to text as much of the game as I can from the perspective of Joker himself. Certain scenes may be omitted or play out differently due to this perspective. _

_This story will be broken up into chapters, with each one typically spanning an in game week of time. My decisions for which confidants are worked on at what times are based on my personal experience playing through Persona 5. I haven't 100 percent it yet, so if I didn't include confidant scenes, that is why._

_With this being said : I hope you enjoy this story. I'm not going to force anybody to give it ratings, however, advice as to my writing style/things I should be doing differently is encouraged and I will try my best to implement them._

**Final Note :**

This story is a work of fiction. Any similarities between characters or events to persons living or dead in our world are purely coincidental. Only those who agree to the above will have the privilege of partaking in the recollection of this story. By clicking on the next chapter, you agree to the terms as they have been laid out to you.

The contract has been sealed. The world was not as it should have been, It was filled with distortion, and ruin could not be avoided. Those who opposed fate and desire change have been referred to as Tricksters. This story is about such a Trickster, and his rise against the abyss of distortion.


	2. --Chapter 1 : A High Stakes Job--

I'd done it. They were all safe, and making their escape. I had chosen to stay behind to divert an unexpected snag that had just occurred in our operations.

Of course, I was simply told to provide ample time for the others to escape. 'They said nothing about showing off a little on my way out,' I thought to myself, swinging over the hanging scaffolds in the lobby floor.

"Hey, up there!" Cried out from a civilian down below.  
"He's here, move in immediately," said a serious looking group of men in suits that were making their way through the crowd.

_Heh, Not a chance._ I internally said, making my way across the rigging more, and attempting to get away from sight.

It wasn't too much longer until my teammates had started to chime in via the communications system we all agreed on. Our tech specialist had set it up in case we ever needed to separate. Of all the situations we could testing it in, This works.

"Good, now get running!" - Said an all too familiar boyish voice.  
"This is our only chance!" - Said another voice, reminding me of the stakes.  
"Stay calm! You can get away now!" - Reassured yet another voice, one of my female teammates  
"We'll retrieve the briefcase on our end" - Matter of factly concluded the transmission for the moment, the most level headed of my group.

"Hmm, what was that?" Chattered the one member again, questioning the situation almost as much as I was moments ago.  
"Don't worry about us, Just concentrate on getting away!" Chattered the first voice.  
No arguments there, As I made my way forward over the lighting fixtures of this place.

"But I gotta say, showing yourself above that crowd earlier was an excellent move. Nice work as always Joker."

Heh, And here I thought I was gonna be called out for showing off.  
"I bet Skull wouldn't pull it off that smoothly" - Chirped another voice, another I had become familiar with over time.

As I made my way over the structure, Two additional voices traded remarks about the situation. Good to know they're managing. A bit of a complication on my end had just surfaced with the cry of "There he is!" from one of the agents who had announced they had found me moments ago.

"Just run! Get out of there!" - Instructed the same voice who had told me to stay calm.

I could've taken them easily, but I trust their judgement. With some hops across more of the structure of the casino, I was nearing an exit.

"Stop right there!" Said yet another agent. Great, just what this operation needed, more problems.

Heh, They picked the wrong rebel to mess with. As "Take 'em down, Joker!" had sounded over the communications, I did a flip, ripping off the mask of the Shadows that were before me. With a satisfying noise, the true form had been revealed. To most people, the monster would be considered as disgusting or intimidating. But I had seen worse already.

I drew the pistol from underneath my longcoat, And popped 8 shots into the monster. Knocking it down through some sort of luck. Easy money, and if it's knocked over. I can follow up with a counter attack.

"ARSENE!" I loudly proclaimed, summoning the power within me, getting ready to strike the shadow down. "Ravage them!" I cried out, as darkness swirled around the enemy, swallowing it. Threat neutralized.

"Good, you defeated them with ease." - The boyish voice said in relief.  
"More of them? Be careful!" - The supportive voice had said.

As a shadow attempted to attack me, I flipped backwards, onto a railing and above where the enemies could reach me. Then I started to make a break for it. Not today guys.

As her voice instructed me to go through the door located behind me, I was one step ahead. Already into the hallways of the underbelly of this den of vice. More idle chatter from my teammates sounded, and I went through a door before quickly getting out of sight.

"Where'd they go damnit." Said an agent that was behind a window dividing hallways."I can't confirm the intruders location."

He had stepped away, and I proceeded on, before quickly needing to resume my time in the shadows. Another agent was further down the hall. I dashed between boxes and shadows before nearing him.

"Are you sure you saw the target come this way?" - Said the agent, reporting in to some sort of superior officer. I couldn't make out what the response was, but before I knew it, the agent was leaving with a final "Understood, I will continue my search."

I took the chance, and ran up the stairs, further into the facility. Nearing an exit, I listened in on a room where they were discussing attempts to find me and my crew. Finally, I had reached a top balcony. An exit was not visible, and the bottom floor had completely filled with the commotion from earlier.

"Hey, Over there! There's nowhere to run!" Sounded another group of agents.

Unfortunately for them, I had a plan already. With a quick dash across some narrow beams, I was facing the massive stained glass window in the front hall.

"See ya!"

I proceeded to leap through the window, soaring through the air. I had made my escape, and done it with some style too.  
"Hmpf, What a showoff." - Said the boyish voice. There's the reaction I was expecting earlier.

"You're so reckless, y'know that?" - Said the voice of another teammate.

I don't even care if it's considered reckless. When am I ever going to get a chance to do something that cool again. I don't regret a single moment leading up to now, and I certainly do not regret what I just did.

The feeling of regret started to take hold as soon as I landed, however. Spotlights were all around me, and according to the team, there were readings of even more enemies. If these were all shadows, it's more than I could take on alone. So I didn't even try. I ran, still firmly in the spotlight, leaped and grabbed onto a ladder, and began to climb up.

But there were enemies on top of the ladder as well, and one of them had hit me with the end of his rifle. I fell down to the ground and was surrounded by enemies. Before I could even attempt to resist, I was restrained. "Suspect secured" was uttered from an officer, and a man wearing a suit spoke to me.

"Didn't expect to find some kid. You have your teammate to thank for all this. You, were sold out." were the last words I heard before being handcuffed, and dragged into the custody of the police. I was forced to take a mugshot picture, as I had been apprehended.

The rest, I don't recall clearly. My next vivid memory must've been a day or so later.


	3. --Chapter 2 : Recollections --

**SPLASH  
**Water was thrown onto my face, instantly awakening me from what must've been a restless sleep. I'm not quite sure where I am, the last thing I remember was being captured during the last heist. A quick look around didn't help much with determining where I am, there was a camera on the wall and serious looking men in suits, but no defining features to the room.

It wasn't long before one of them spoke, telling me "No dozing off"

I struggled to attempt to get out of the chair, but I was handcuffed to it or something. I could only struggle, which seemed to have agitated the men before me.

"You still don't get it, do you?" - The man had said again, posing a question that had no real meaning to me.

"Give it up!"

The man had spoken to me before proceeding to kick me to the ground right into the stomach. The chair behind me broke and I was on the ground with an immeasurable amount of pain.

"Come on, Cooperate. Or what, do you want another shot?"

They had drugged me. That explains the fuzziness. But, if this is an interrogation than.  
The camera. Right, that could probably be useful in court.

"Huh, what about the camera? Are you thinkin' it can be used as video evidence?"

Damn it. I was hoping it wasn't that obvious. I remained silent to his questioning though. I'm not giving him the satisfaction of an answer. He gave me another kick to the stomach demanding to know if I heard him, and to answer. But I wasn't going to.

"Obstruction of justice, Defamation, Blackmail, Possession of weapons."  
"Manslaughter too yeah? Talk about the works."

That's what they're charging me with, Good to know. Even if I get out of here alive I'm not leaving without seeing a prison cell for the rest of my life.

"To think all those crimes were led by a punk like this."  
"And you seemed to be enjoying every second of it."

_I was...Enjoying it…?  
Ugh, everything's hazy. I can't remember._

"You should know your place."

I wasn't expecting them to unlock my handcuffs immediately after that statement. But one of the men had brought over a clipboard. Which I quickly found out the purpose of.

"Sign here. It's a confession under your name."

No way in hell am I signing this. I tossed it aside. This isn't justice, this is basically signing my own death certificate.

"...I see. I need your hand to sign this, But."

**THWACK  
**That man had put his shoe onto my leg. The pain I felt in my chest earlier seems to have migrated to that site in an instant. It felt like he was going to crush my bones any second now.  
"I don't care if you end up losing a leg"

_That much was obvious, Asshole. _I had internally said. I didn't dare speak out loud right now, otherwise the people here might just wind up snapping my neck right then and there. I had no choice but to cooperate. The man had looked me dead in the eyes for one final statement.

"Don't expect to walk out of here in one piece. We are going to make you understand."

I'm basically signing away my entire life, But the alternative is dying now. Hesitantly, I wrote my name down on the clipboard.

**Ren Amamiya**

"Looks like you finally decided to see reason. Fine. Pack it up, let's get out of here."

The men had left without a second word after. Allowing me to take a moment to reflect on what had happened.

My friends were safe, The heist we had worked so hard on to clear our names had seemingly ended in failure. I'm captured and detained by the police, likely about to face life in prison or outright execution, and I didn't understand how things had gone this poorly. The last words I had heard before being detained kept flashing in my head as well.

"_You have your teammate to thank for this. You, were sold out."_

_Who. Who had sold us out? I'd known nearly everybody on the team for months at this point._

_No, it couldn't be._

I didn't get much longer to think on the situation after that however. I could faintly overhear a conversation on the other end of the room I was kept in.

"I'm Sae Niijima from the public prosecutors office." - Said the voice of a woman.  
"The public prosecutors office? What business do you have here?" - Barked a stern sounding man back at this Niijima.  
"Just let me through, It's urgent. There's something I need to confirm with the suspect." - Responded Niijima  
The suspect clearly meant me. Way those men were talking I'd already been tried and convicted.

"Niijima-san, I believe this case is no longer in your jurisdiction. Besides…" - The first man had said in response. Before being cut off by another, older sounding male voice.

"Are you prosecutor Sae Niijima? There's a call from your director. Hurry and get it over with. To be frank, you're being an inconvenience."

I couldn't make out the entire call, only the parts that Sae vocalized.

"I'm responsible for this case yet I'm not even being allowed an interrogation!?"  
"I will not be convinced until I confirm it for myself. This is my case."

"Uh, prosecutor, I forgot to mention something important. Your time will be cut short, we can't permit you to talk to him for long." - The first voice I had heard informed Sae, causing her to let out a frustrated sounding noise.

"It's for your own sake, His methods are unknown after all, we don't know if it's safe for you to simple meet and speak with him."

_That's bullshit, what do they think I'm gonna do? Slit her throat or something?_

"...I understand."  
That was the final thing I heard Sae say to the men outside. Moments later she came into the room with me. I recognized her appearance from a few months ago, but didn't know who she was at the time. Greenish-silver hair, Brown eyes, and a serious looking expression on top of a black turtleneck, presumably over a black business suit as well.

"I didn't expect it'd be you. You'll be answering my questions this time." - Sae began to speak at me.

She looked aside on the floor, noticing an empty syringe on the ground. I figured I was drugged, that would explain the comments of that man earlier, as well as my inability to process much of what was happening.

"Those bastards…"  
"Hey, can you hear me? It seems you've been through a lot."  
I nodded simply in response. My head hurt, but I could still make out sounds.**  
**"Almost anything can happen here, and I can't stop them. That's why I need you to answer me honestly. I don't have much time left either."

"What was your objective?"  
"Why did you cause such a major incident?"  
"I didn't think it was a prank from the get-go but I couldn't assemble a case for prosecution. It's because I couldn't figure out the method behind it." - Sae asked me this series of questions in rapid succession.

"Of course you couldn't…" - I said in response. The police wouldn't have been able to determine the methods I and my team had used under normal circumstances.

Sae let out a small laugh, and then began to speak again.

"True. There's no way I could be convinced of such a "world" just by reading the reports."  
"It seems your cohearent, at least. So answer me. When and where did you find out about that world? How is it even possible to steal another's heart? Tell me your account of everything."

"Start from the very beginning."

_The very beginning…  
So long ago. Everything's fuzzy in my head, like thoughts are dashing in and out rapidly. I can't piece it all together.  
Why can't I remember. I should be able to remember._

As I sat here attempting to recollect my past, I looked up to see a butterfly flying through the room. I must've been the only one who could see it though, as Sae hadn't commented on it.

"_You are held captive. A prisoner of fate, to a future that has been sealed in advance."  
_"_This is truly an unjust game. Your chances of winning are almost none."  
_"_But if my voice is reaching you, there may yet be a possibility open to you."  
_"_I beg you...Please overcome this game, and save the world."  
_"_The keys to victory lie within the memories of your bonds - The truth that you and your friends grasped."  
_"_It all began that day. When the game started half a year ago."_

_Half a year. It's been half a year. Right. I'm starting to remember now more clearly._

"_For the sake of the world's future, as well as your own, you must remember."_"Hey, did you hear me? Start from the very beginning. Any details can help, no matter how small you think they might be." - Sae had spoken up again.

_Who was that voice? She sounded, familiar, somehow. Did I know them?_

"...Alright. It all started around half a year ago." - I spoke.

I remember the event that started this quite vividly.


	4. --Chapter 3 : Origins--

_Ugh. I hate taking the subway sometimes. After everything that happened, it somehow felt even worse than usual._

I must've dozed off or something, but I woke up to hear that announcement that the train was going to be arriving in Shibuya shortly. That was my destination.

As I stared longingly out the window, I couldn't help but think back to a few days ago. How this all happened.

-

I was walking home late from my school, I had stayed after to study for the upcoming exams, when I heard a womans' voice crying out.

"Please! Help!"

I should've just left well enough alone, but I couldn't let that slide. There was a man there who seemed to be abusing this woman. I had placed my hand on his shoulder to get his attention.

He was heavily drunk, you could tell in his voice. So something as simple as me placing my hand onto him caused him to topple over. I felt bad, I only meant to try to diffuse the situation, not hurt anybody.

"Damn brat! I'll sue!"

Then the next thing I knew, I was being taken into police custody.

I don't know why I had decided to intervene like I had. Things like that happen all the time in the world, I don't know why I thought that was any different. Just didn't feel right, I think.

A conversation that two girls on the train were having caught me ear though.

"What? Are you for real? A mental shutdown?" - Said an unimpressed sounding first girl.  
"It's the truth!" - Piped a far more enthusiastic second.  
"To a person though? That's gotta be a joke" - The first said in response  
"You really love all that occult stuff don't you?"

Mental shutdowns. I think I remember seeing something about those online. Didn't quite remember the details at the moment though.

I got off the train and began to walk to the central street of Shibuya. I truly felt overwhelmed in this moment. All the people walking around. But I noticed something strange on my phone of all things. An app was opened that I don't recognize. It had the symbol of an eye with a star in the center, colored red and black. I tried to tap on it to close it out, as it was a program I didn't recognize.

It felt like time itself stopped for a moment though. All the people in Shibuya seemed to stop in place suddenly. Maybe that's just how I thought it was seeing as how out of place such a large crowd felt to me. But it felt like nothing else in the world was happening.

I looked ahead to see, fire. A blue fire above the people further down the center. It, seemed to change forms rapidly. Formless, than shaped like a man, then a figure with wings. After that, a face appeared in the fire, flashing a sinister grin at me. The more I looked into it, the more it almost felt like I could see myself.

_Get ahold of yourself, Ren. I'm not sure what you're seeing but, this isn't real._

It must've been my imagination, because the moment I looked away, people were moving again. I felt like I was simply in the way standing in the middle of the crowd like I was, but it seemed like nobody else noticed what I saw.

I managed to select the icon of the mysterious app and dragged it into the trash on my phone. I didn't remember installing it, so no harm in deleting it.

I looked back at the maps app I was using, it said I had 6.7 kilometers to go until I got to my destination. It was a cafe in Yongen-Jaya, Cafe LeBlanc. I was near another subway station so I proceeded to get on.

There wasn't anything exciting on the train ride there, though. It gave me a chance to reflect on things.

Today was April 9th, 2015. Exactly 4 days ago I was tried in court and found guilty of assault. A dubious charge at best but the court was firm in its decision. Cast out from my home, and sent to live out my probation far away from anybody else.

It wasn't very long before I arrived in Yongen. The train ride felt shorter than the one to Shibuya, that's for certain.

_Starting today, Sojiro Sakura will be taking care of me. His house should be in the backstreets of this residential area._

I thought to nobody in particular, but the truth is I was completely lost. So, I just started looking around for where the houses were. I eventually made my way to a house with a delivery truck in front of it.

"Excuse me, do you know where I can find a Sakura-san?" - I asked the delivery man.  
"Oh, Boss is usually at his cafe by now. It's in the back alley, a little way from here."

I thanked the man and then made my way back to the alleys I had initially passed over. I should've looked here first, in hindsight. Sure enough, I found a store with a sign outside of it saying "LeBlanc, Coffee and Curry"

This must've been the place I was looking for, so I went inside. The TV was playing and there were a couple of customers talking. Something about the mental shutdowns. A man with a pink shirt and an apron had mentioned something about "They did say that was today" upon me walking in, so I could reasonably assume he knew Sojiro.

"So, you're Ren?" - The man said to me. He appeared to have known the situation I was in.  
"Is Sakura-San here?" - I asked in response. He's who I was sent to see, after all.  
"...Yeah." - The man had spoken again.  
"I'm Sojiro Sakura, you'll be in my custody over the next year."

...Oh. The man I was talking to, was Sakura-san. I feel like a slight fool for not assuming that.

"I was wondering what kind of unruly kid would show up. But you're the one huh?" - Sojiro remarked.  
"Have you been told? A customer of mine and your parents know each-other and…"  
"Well, that doesn't matter. Follow me."

Sojiro led me to the upper level of the cafe. There was an old bed in the corner, and the room was covered in dust and discarded objects. It looked like a storage room.

"This is your room. I'll at least give you sheets for your bed."  
"Huh, what's the matter. You look like you wanna say something."

"...It's cluttered." - Was the only response I was able to give.

"It's on you to clean up the rest." - Sakura-san informed me.  
"I'll be leaving after I lock up each day. You'll be alone at night, but don't do anything stupid. I'll throw you out if you cause any trouble."

_Don't need to tell me twice. I know the situation I'm in._

"Now then...I got the gist of your situation. You protected a woman from a man who was forcing himself on her, he got injured, and sued you, right?"  
"That's what you get for sticking your nose in a matter between two adults. You did injure him, yeah?"  
"And now that you got a criminal record, you were expelled from your high school. The court ordered you to transfer, and move out here. Which your parents also agreed with."  
"In other words, they got rid of you for being a pain in the ass."  
"It's best you not talk about anything unnecessary, I am in the restaurant business. Just behave yourself for the year, if nothing happens, your probation will be lifted."

"...A whole year." - I responded. I had very few words in this situation. I knew this already, and hearing it from somebody else made it more difficult to hear.

"Cause any problems and you'll be sent straight to juvie."  
"We'll be going to Shujin tomorrow"  
"Shujin?" - I asked. I had forgotten the name of the school I had been transferred to in all honesty.

"Shujin Academy...The school you'll be attending. We'll introduce ourselves properly to the staff there. There's rarely a place that'll accept somebody like you, you know."  
"What a waste of my sunday…"  
"Oh, by the way. Your luggage arrived earlier. I left it over there."

A cardboard box full of clothes and other essential items from home was on the floor in the room. I got dressed and reflected on the situation more.

A whole year, and I'm on probation. All my friends, anybody I cared about at my old school. I had to leave them behind. I'm an outcast, for lack of a better word.

_Starting today, I'll be living here. In the attic of this cafe._

I was in the school uniform for Shujin, it was the only thing I had to wear otherwise. So I got myself changed into a more casual outfit, and then began to look around the room.

...I can clean this place up, at least. No reason to live like unwanted trash despite how everybody's gonna treat me.

So I spent the entire afternoon dusting the place, moving boxes onto the large shelf, making sure to keep my box separate so I'd know it was mine, and generally making the place look livable. I'm no housekeeper, but I gotta admit, I was impressed with my work. By the time I was done, it was getting dark out.

Sojiro came up the stairs, I would assume to check up on me.

"What the heck? I heard you making all sorts of noise, But I didn't think you'd be cleaning."  
He sounded surprised.  
"I didn't want to live like trash, even if that's how everyone's gonna view me." - I shrugged in response.  
"Actually, the place doesn't look half bad." - Sojiro admitted to me.  
"Though it's only natural you'd want to keep your room tidy."  
"Why don't you go to bed for the night? You don't have anything better to be doing, right?"  
_...Nope. Not really. Other than staring at the ceiling and wondering how I was gonna find ways to entertain myself for a year like this._

"Alright. I was getting tired after today anyway." - I responded truthfully.

"I'm gonna close up shop and get out of here myself. I won't be the one looking after you if you get sick from staying up too late, got that?" - Said Sojiro.

"Understood." - I responded.

I really was tired, though. I threw a blanket over myself and quickly started to doze off. But not before reflecting a bit more.

_Starting today. This is my room. It's a bit dusty still, and rather large but. I think I might be able to get used to this place. WIth time._

I changed into something a bit more appropriate for sleeping in, and then threw the blankets over me. I was out like a light pretty quickly. But a few things flashed in my head still.  
-

_Arrest...Trial...Criminal record. I can't help but think back on that fateful night. Why didn't I just walk away. It wasn't my place. It really was a matter between two adults, just like Sakura-san said today. The unpleasantness of the man's voice as well. "Damn brat, I'll sue!"  
He was somebody who was willing to sue me, a high school student, a minor. For his own mistake. What kind of man would do that?_

_Still. I just couldn't let that go._

_I remember more clearly now. That day, I had to go home early. I wasn't studying for a test at all, I actually wasn't feeling well and was sent home. I was walking back and it was getting late._

"_Just get in the car" - Said the unpleasant man  
_"_Stop it!" - Screamed the woman_

_I could hear the man and woman arguing in the distance, and my home was on the other side of the street, further down. The argument was just up ahead.  
_"_How dare you cross me" - Said the man again. Causing the woman to yell "Stop it" once more in response, followed by "Let me go!"_

_The man was roughly grabbing at the woman, it was clear she didn't want to be involved, and the man was heavily drunk._

"_No!" - The woman screamed in protest.  
_"_Don't give me that shit." - The man said._

_The man was definitely bothering that woman. I don't even think they really knew one another._

"_Ow! P-Please, Stop!" - The woman was getting desperate now. She was in danger. I couldn't ignore that._

"_Tch, what a waste of time. You think you're worth causing me trouble, Huh?" - The man barked.  
_"_I-I'll call the police" - The woman threatened  
_"_Heh, Call them if you want! The police are my bitches. They're not going to take you seriously."  
_"_N-No, Stop!" - The woman kept trying to struggle to get away. A police siren was heard in the distance, no doubt somebody on the street also noticed what was happening._

"_Someone called the cops, huh?" - The drunk man snarled.  
_"_Get in the car! Incompitent fools like you just need to shut your mouths and follow where I steer this country!"_

_He then turned to face me._

"_What are you looking at? Get outta my face" - He said with anger in his voice.  
_"_This ain't a show. Get lost, Kid!"_

"_See, this is all because you're so damn slow! Get in the car!"_

_He kept trying to force himself onto the woman.  
_-__

I couldn't just leave something like that. Something in my being wouldn't allow it.  
I closed my eyes, before hearing a notification from my phone. That weird app had managed to install itself again without my permission.  
_I thought I deleted it._

Well, I'll just do exactly that again. It's probably some sort of prank or something.

My eyelids started to get heavy, and before I knew it. I was fast asleep.  
-

I awoke inside of a padded room. The walls were blue. This wasn't the attic of the cafe I had just been in, where was I. There were swinging chains, a toilet with dripping water, and the whole thing felt like some sort of prison.

I got up to get a better look at my surroundings, before noticing that I was bound in chains. Wearing a prisoners uniform as well. This doesn't make sense. Am I dreaming? Why does this feel so real.

I heard a chuckle from an unknown source, only to quickly identify where it had come from. A little girl wearing a blue outfit, with an eyepatch over the eye. Not much later, another came into view, wearing the same outfit, but with the eyepatch over the other eye. They look identical, like twins.

I walked forward, feeling a massive weight on my feet. Sure enough, I was on a ball and chain. Peering out of the bars, I got a bit better of a look at the two girls. The first one I saw had her eyepatch over the left eye. My right. The second had one over the right, or my left. What happened that made them lose eyes?

But that wasn't the biggest question about my new location. That came in the form of the man sitting at a desk in the center of the room. Bald, long nose, pointed ears, and wide opened eyes. He had his hands together and his chin resting on them, before speaking to me.

"Trickster. Welcome to my velvet room."

What the hell was going on!? All I could do was attempt to rattle the bars in front of me.

"So you've come to, Inmate!" - Said one of the twin girls.  
"The you in reality is currently fast asleep. You are only experiencing this as a dream." - Said the other.

This was a dream, only a dream. I was worried I'd just been sent straight to prison already

"You're in the presence of our master! Stand up straight!" - The first twin commanded.  
...Something tells me that listening to her was a good idea. So I did.

"Welcome. I am delighted to make your acquaintance." - Said the mysterious old man. He had an exceptionally deep voice, very commanding, and he spoke very slowly.

"This place exists between dream and reality, Between mind and matter."  
"It is a room that only those who are bound by a 'Contract' may enter."

_A contract? I don't remember signing any sort of contract._

"I am Igor, The master of this place. Remember it well."

_...At least I know a name now._

"I summoned you to speak of important matters. It involves your life as well." - Igor continued his previous statement.

"Important matters?" - I asked, expecting some sort of answer.

"Still, this is a surprise. The state of this room reflects the state of your own heart. To think a prison would appear as such." - Igor continued, seemingly not hearing my question.

"You truly are, a "prisoner" of fate."  
"In the near future, there is no mistake that ruin awaits you."

"Ruin?" - I asked, not expecting a response. I was actually pleasantly surprised when Igor appeared to have heard me this time.

"I speak of the end to everything. However, there is a means to oppose such a fate."  
"You must be "rehabilitated," rehabilitated, toward freedom. That, is your only means to avoid ruin."  
"Do you have the resolve to challenge the distortion of the world?"

"Wait...What?" - Was the only response I could manage. This is all very sudden. A lot to ask of just myself.  
"You didn't decline, Hm? Very well, that is enough."  
"Allow me to observe the path of your rehabilitation."

The twins from earlier seem to have moved, and Igor introduced them as the wardens of this place. To my left was Caroline, and to my left, Justine. Similar names, they must be twins after all.

"Hmph, Try and struggle as hard as you like!" - Caroline said to me.  
"The duty of wardens, is to protect inmates. We are also your collaborators." - Said Justine in a matter of fact tone.  
"That is, if you remain obedient"

"I shall explain the roles of these two on another occasion" Igor spoke again.  
"Now then, it seems the night is waning. It is almost time."  
"Take your time to slowly come to understand this place. We will surely meet again, eventually."

...I didn't get very long before an alarm was going off.

"Time's up! Now hurry up and go back to sleep" - Ordered Caroline.

I had no real choice but to comply.


End file.
